The Sword

This Austin band seems to have come out of nowhere with
their 2006 debut, Age Of Winters, and have drawn several
rave reviews by critics declaring this band one of those
Next Big Things in metal.
Stylistically, The Sword isn’t doing anything new –
Black Sabbath-styled
riffs are all over the place, and doom is the prime
style here, albeit far removed from the 80’s-styled
doom bands such as
Candlemass.
In general the songs are rather loose, almost a garage-y
feel even though the production suggests otherwise.
There are clear stoner influences on some of the more
uptempo numbers, though this is not a stoner band so
much as a doom band with some stonerisms,
somewhat in the same ballpark as bands such as
Sleep
or maybe
Orange Goblin.
The band has taken some heat from underground fans who
feel that, by quickly debuting on
what is essentially a major label (Kemado is an indie, but one
that is major-label-financed), they haven’t “paid their dues”
(really, should this matter at all?).
When all is said and done, Age Of Winters may not be
the ultimate masterpiece as some say, but it’s clearly a solid
70’s-influenced doom album.